HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2015-05-27, Page 22 News Record • Wednesday, May 27, 2015
General Dallaire captures audience at St. Anne's
Laura Broadley
Clinton News Record
He had seen these eyes
before.
"But then I looked into
his eyes. What I saw in the
eyes of that little boy in
the midst of that civil war,
in that mass destruction,
that genocide was exactly
what I saw in the eyes of
my 7 -year-old son when I
left Quebec City for
Africa."
A haunting story told to
local students by retired
Lieutenant -General
Romeo Dallaire about a
boy he encountered dur-
ing the height of the
Rwandan genocide in
1994.
It was a village devas-
tated by conflict and death
left a behind a small boy
alone. Dallaire searched
for someone to take care
of the boy, but found no
one.
Dallaire spoke to a cap-
tivated crowd on Friday,
May 15 at St. Anne's Cath-
olic Secondary School in
Clinton.
Liberal candidate from
Huron -Bruce, Allan
Thompson introduced
Dallaire, saying that he
couldn't recall an event
that brought together so
many high school stu-
dents from across Huron
and Bruce counties.
The two met through
Thompson's work as a
journalist for the Toronto
Star while he covered the
Rwandan genocide.
"In 20 years as a jour-
nalist he is the most
remarkable public figure
that I have had the oppor-
tunity to meet, and to
write about and to travel
with," Thompson said.
Dallaire was accessible
and never placed any con-
ditions on what he could
write about, Thompson
added.
Connecting global
issues with the lives of
Huron -Bruce's youth was
the sentiment behind Dal-
laire's presentation. He
called upon youth to
engage with technology
and the wider world to
help solve world issues.
The world's youth are
being pulled from class-
rooms and forced to serve
as weapons of war, Dal-
laire said.
The plight of child sol-
diers in a cause Dallaire
has been championing for
many years. The goal of
his organization, The
Romeo Dallaire Child Sol-
diers Initiative, is to elimi-
nate the use of child
soldiers.
Historically peace and
wartime were separate
periods. But, Dallaire said,
we are in a different time.
A mixture of peacekeeping
and fighting now domi-
nates the international
landscape.
Laura Broadley Clinton News Record
Retired Lieutenant -General Romeo Dallaire with members of St. Anne's student council after his presentation on May 15.
"We did peacekeeping.
We did war fighting. But
we never did all these
other things where it's a
mixture of peacekeeping
and war fighting. It's a
mixture of rebel forces
and extremists. It's a mix-
ture of what is right and
what is wrong. It's a mix-
ture of who are the good
guys and who are the bad
guys. How do you handle
that?" Dallaire said.
Extreme poverty, anger
at the inability to change
circumstances and reli-
gious extremism can leave
people in a state of precar-
iousness, he said.
Dallaire explained that
the root of conflict is the
belief that some human
lives matter more than
others. He said that when
someone decides not to
do anything about human
suffering, they are just as
culpable.
So he urged the stu-
dents to leave their com-
fort zone and explore a
developing country.
"I think there should be,
for the generation without
borders, a `right of pas-
sage' that says that under-
neath your bed there's a
pair of sneakers or boots
that have been soiled in
the earth of a developing
country."
Those experiences can
effect change back in
Canada. The youth hold
the balance of power in
Canadian politics, Dal-
laire said, voting and
engaging in politics is the
first step.
Although the presentation
at St. Anne's was largely non-
partisan it was just one stop
on Dallaire's tour through
Huron -Bruce in support of
Thompson as Liberal
candidate.
Thompson said the
event at St. Anne's was to
reach as many people as
possible with Dallaire's
message.
Dallaire stopped in
Goderich, Walkerton and
Kincardine legions as well
during his time in the
region.
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circumstances and reli-
gious extremism can leave
people in a state of precar-
iousness, he said.
Dallaire explained that
the root of conflict is the
belief that some human
lives matter more than
others. He said that when
someone decides not to
do anything about human
suffering, they are just as
culpable.
So he urged the stu-
dents to leave their com-
fort zone and explore a
developing country.
"I think there should be,
for the generation without
borders, a `right of pas-
sage' that says that under-
neath your bed there's a
pair of sneakers or boots
that have been soiled in
the earth of a developing
country."
Those experiences can
effect change back in
Canada. The youth hold
the balance of power in
Canadian politics, Dal-
laire said, voting and
engaging in politics is the
first step.
Although the presentation
at St. Anne's was largely non-
partisan it was just one stop
on Dallaire's tour through
Huron -Bruce in support of
Thompson as Liberal
candidate.
Thompson said the
event at St. Anne's was to
reach as many people as
possible with Dallaire's
message.
Dallaire stopped in
Goderich, Walkerton and
Kincardine legions as well
during his time in the
region.
ATTENTION ADVERTISERS!
DEADLINES
Our Weekly Deadlines are as follows:
ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL
Friday @ 2:00 pm
Views Record
53 Albert St. S, Clinton
P H : 519-482-3443
www.clintonnewsrecord.com
OFFICE HOURS:
Mon. - Fri. 9am - 5pm
CLOSED TUESDAYS